By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 September 2014 at 12:00 am
SUNY Fredonia – A lecture hall in the new Science Complex at Fredonia State College will be named the Kelly Family Auditorium after a gift to the project from Medina native, Dr. Jeffery Kelly.
MEDINA – A Medina High School graduate who has become a prominent organic chemistry researcher is helping his alma mater, Fredonia State College, build a new science complex.
Dr. Jeffery Kelly graduated from Fredonia in 1982. He then earned his doctorate in organic chemistry at the University of North Carolina in 1986.
He heads The Kelly Laboratory at The Scripps Research Institute, one of the world’s largest independent, not-for-profit organizations focusing on research in the biomedical sciences. The SRI employs about 3,000 people in La Jolla, Calif. and Jupiter, Fla. Kelly works out of the campus in La Jolla.
Kelly also owns two pharmaceutical companies, said his mother, Janice Kelly-Mack of Medina.
“He’s done very well,” she said. “He’s worked very hard.”
Dr. Jeffery Kelly
Kelly returns to Fredonia and Medina three or four times a year to visit family and friends and to attend Fredonia board meetings. He is on the college’s board of directors.
He will attend the Oct. 17 ribbon-cutting for the new 92,000-square-foot science complex, a $60 million project. Kelly donated to have the 120-seat auditorium named for his family. The Kelly Family Auditorium is among many rooms in the new science center that won support from alumni and friends of the college in Chautauqua County.
The Kelly Laboratory discovered the first regulatory agency-approved drug that slows the progression of a human amyloid disease, and has made other breakthroughs.
Kelly was recognized with a Fredonia Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award in 2000. He has won numerous awards for his research, including in 2012 when he was the winner of the Murray Goodman Memorial Prize for Biopolymers and the Ralph F. Hirschmann Award in Peptide Chemistry from the American Chemical Society.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 September 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – A fire in the laundry room in the back of a house at 584 East Ave. was quickly brought under control by firefighters just before noon today.
The fire caused minimal damage and remains under investigation, said Todd Zinkievich, Medina fire chief.
There was a lot of smoke coming from the back of the house and the fire was starting to move up the wall before it was knocked down by firefighters, Zinkievich said.
The house is owned by Cliff Fidanza. Besides the Medina Fire Department, firefighters responded from Shelby and Lyndonville.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 September 2014 at 12:00 am
Provided photos
The Village of Perry opened a spray park in June. The biggest piece resembles a giant serpent. Village lore says a serpent once lived in nearby Silver Lake. Spray parks or splash pads can include characters that play up community history.
ALBION – The Albion Recreation Committee and the Lions Club are brainstorming how to make a spray park and new playground equipment a reality for the community at Bullard Park.
The groups met with a representative from Parkitects on Wednesday to discuss options for a spray park. Those could vary from the most basic model at $66,000 to splash pads that top over $200,000. In Albion’s case that price wouldn’t include the cost of building a new bathroom with a changing area close by. That would be an additional expense.
“It would set us apart and be an attraction,” Recreation Committee member Mike Beach said about the spray park.
He takes his two sons to spray parks in Olcott and Spencerport. The project in Albion would be a draw for local families, and Beach said it would also bring people into Albion, giving the local economy a boost.
The community needs to find a way to fund the project for it to happen. The Lions Club has pledged $10,000 towards it. A concert last month raised about $2,000 for Bullard Park.
Bill Robinson, the Lions Club president, wants to hire a grantwriter to pursue funding from the state and other sources.
Kim Remley, a Recreation Committee member, said grants will likely be the difference-maker in whether the project moves forward.
The Village of Perry in Wyoming County opened a new spray park in June that cost $156,000. New bathrooms pushed the total cost to about $230,000, Remley said.
The Albion group also wants to put in new playground equipment that would be different than the new playground that opened last spring at elementary school. The group will work on cost estimates with Parkitects or another playground provider.
In the meantime, village officials will try to reach out to neighboring towns and the county to help fund the project that would be open to children outside the village.
The next “Rebuild Bullard” committee meeting will be 7 p.m. on Oct. 15 at Hoag Library.
Rebuild Bullard also has a Facebook page. Click here for more information.
Staff Reports Posted 18 September 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Orleans County residents are welcome to drop off unused prescriptions at three locations on Sept. 27 as part of the “National Prescription Drug Take-Back Initiative.”
The three locations will accept the prescriptions form 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The locations include:
Orleans County Public Safety Building – 13925 State Route 31 – Albion
Holley Fire Department – 7 Thomas Street – Holley
Medina Fire Department – 600 Main Street – Medina
This is a collaborative effort with the U.S. Department of Justice – Drug Enforcement Administration, the Orleans County Health Department, and the Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism & Substance Abuse.
This is a great opportunity for the public to surrender unwanted or expired medications for safe and proper disposal, Sheriff Scott Hess said.
“Events such as these have dramatically reduced the risk of prescription drug diversion and abuse, as well as increasing awareness of this critical public health issue,” he said.
Staff Reports Posted 18 September 2014 at 12:00 am
Provided photo – Jim Moody, director of the Orleans Community Health Foundation, is pictured with Wilson Southworth, right, in front of Medina Memorial Hospital. Southworth was the $10,000 grand prize winner in the Mega Drawing.
MEDINA – A Medina resident is the $10,000 winner of the Mega Drawing, a fund-raiser for Orleans Community Health Foundation.
Wilson Southworth won the grand prize. The Foundation also awarded a $2,000 prize to Heather Schrader of Medina, $1,000 to Pat Kennedy of Medina, $1,000 to Betty Rogowski of Medina and $500 to Robert Welch of Brockport.
Proceeds from the Mega Drawing will go towards upcoming renovations of the emergency room at Medina Memorial Hospital.
The Foundation is working on its Treasure Island fund-raiser on Nov. 1 at Hickory Ridge Golf and Country Club in Holley.
ALBION – In this picture from 1904 we see a great view of Main Street in Albion looking north from State Street.
The Swan Library, which opened in 1900, prominently shows here. Odd Fellows had not yet built their temple next to the library. The temple was erected in 1907.
Likewise, the BL & R Trolley Depot behind the library had not yet been built. That occurred in 1908.
Main Street was still unpaved, yet we see improved cross walks. A number of hitching posts appear down the street, most of which are cast iron.
The first house down the street from the library was torn down in 1924 when Will Robson built the Rialto Theatre. Albion got electric street lights in 1890 and we see one of these hanging off cables in the upper left corner of our picture.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Chris Collins (R-Clarence) today released the following statement after voting to support H.J. Res. 124 and the coinciding amendment.
The legislation funds the government, extends the Export-Import Bank’s authorization, and provides the President authorization to combat ISIS.
“Although far from perfect, this legislation takes steps towards achieving a number of necessary initiatives,” Collins said. “Ensuring the government has the funding necessary to operate provides stability for the country. Additionally, extending the Export-Import Bank’s authorization is a big win for small businesses across the country. I have been leading the fight on this topic from the onset, and will continue to push for a long-term reauthorization of the program. This extension allows the Export-Import Bank to continue its operations while Congress considers reforms to the program.
“In our current economic atmosphere, we need to be doing all we can to promote business growth and create job opportunities. Extending the Bank’s charter affords businesses access to services that are vital for their operations.
“In regards to authorizing the President to combat ISIS, we are taking immediate action to destroy a grave threat to our country’s security. The current events in Iraq and Syria prove that the absence of American leadership enables and emboldens our enemies, and puts our country and citizens at risk. It is an unfortunate situation, but America must stand tall and provide the leadership warranted to secure a positive outcome.”
Staff Reports Posted 17 September 2014 at 12:00 am
Upstate Farms
ALBION – An ad by Upstate Farms features Jody Neal sitting in a pickup truck with his daughter, Kasey. Neal is co-owner of Poverty Hill Farms, a dairy farm on West Countyhouse Road in Albion.
His father, Ed Neal, is on the board of directors for Upstate Niagara Cooperative, the parent company of Upstate Farms, which highlighted the ad of Jody and Kasey Neal yesterday on its Facebook page.
“There are so many reasons to support family farmers like Jody Neal and his daughter, Kasey, of Orleans Poverty Hill Farms in Albion. What’s yours?” Upstate asks on Facebook.
Staff Reports Posted 17 September 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Frederick Miller has been found guilty of second-degree murder for killing his girlfriend, Rachel Miller, on March 4, 2013. He faces 25 years to life in prison.
Jurors reached the verdict early this afternoon after beginning deliberations at about 11 a.m.
The attorney for Frederick Miller, 63, offered a defense of “extreme emotional disturbance.” Robert King, the defense lawyer, said Miller wasn’t himself in the months leading up the crime due to a job loss, his mother’s serious illness and a deteriorating relationship with Rachel, his live-in girlfriend.
But District Attorney Joe Cardone told the jurors that Mr. Miller wasn’t suffering from extreme emotional disturbance.
“It was about his extreme arrogance, it was about his extreme selfishness, it was about his extreme narcissism and his extreme need to have control of his life and Rachel Miller,” Cardone told jurors during his closing statement this morning.
Miller is being held without bail and sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 8.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 September 2014 at 12:00 am
Packing House – The Chamber’s Agricultural Business of the Year – employs 90 workers in peak season
Photos by Tom Rivers – John Russell, general manager and partner at Lake Ontario Fruit, stands inside a new controlled-atmosphere storage building that was constructed last year. The site holds 200,000 bushels of apples and slows down the ripening process say the fruit can be stored for nearly a year.
SweeTangos head down the packing line. Lake Ontario Fruit packs about 1.1 million bushels of apples each year for the fresh market. The state’s total apple crop tends to be 25 to 30 million bushels each year.
GAINES – Lake Ontario Fruit put up another new building this year, this time a 5,766-square-foot storage warehouse. The company also redid its parking lot, which serves 90 employees and tractor trailers delivering apples or taking them packed in boxes to grocery stores.
Lake Ontario Fruit has invested about $7 million in upgrading its facilities on Ridge Road since 2008. The company has added a second packing line, built a new controlled-atmosphere storage and upgraded other equipment.
When the new packing line went in in 2010, the company was able to add about 30 employees. It keeps 12 to 15 workers year-round with employment peaking at about 90.
Workers fills bags and boxes with SweeTango apples. Lake Ontario Fruit packs all the SweeTangos in New York that are grown west of Rochester.
The company is a partnership of several local fruit growers as well as John Russell, the general manager. The packing, storage and sales facility is well positioned to serve the local fruit growers for years to come, Russell said.
The company is being recognized by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce as the “Agricultural Business of the Year.” It will be honored on Saturday during an awards dinner at Tillman’s Village Inn.
Shane Lewis, the production manager, checks data on the packing line for SweeTango apples on Tuesday. Lake Ontario Fruit has technology, an internal defect sorter, that checks apples for pressure and other quality issues.
Russell said it is a good time to be in the apple business. Customers are willing to pay a premium for apples such as Honeycrisp, and new varieties coming into the market: SweeTango, SnapDragon, RubyFrost and Zestar, with apple breeders working on others as well.
“Customers want apples with different flavor profiles,” Russell said Tuesday at the complex at 14234 Ridge Rd., located about a mile west of Route 98.
The local fruit growers are swapping out some of their trees, removing less popular varieties with the more popular ones. Lake Ontario Fruit then packs, stores and sells the apples, working with New York Apple Sales, Inc. to market the product.
John Russell is pictured inside the new CA storage. Operators lower the oxygen and raise the carbon dioxide, which acts to put the apples to sleep so they can be stored longer.
Lake Ontario Fruit used to contract with other sites to store some of the apples. But the new CA building from a year ago allows the company to keep all of the apples on one site.
The CA also uses the latest storage technology, allowing Lake Ontario Fruit to lower the oxygen and raise the carbon dioxide levels, which slows the ripening process for apples. That extends the time apples can be in storage and allows the company to put them on the market when the command a higher dollar.
This new 5,766-square-foot storage warehouse was constructed earlier this year and is used to store pallets, cardboard and packing supplies. Lake Ontario Fruit now has enough storage space for fruit and equipment to have everything on site at 14234 Ridge Rd.
Bins of apples are stacked high in this storage room, part of the original packing house in 1982. The room uses foam insulation.
The company has worked to implement the latest technology for food quality and safety. When the apples go through the packing line, they pass an infrared defect sorting system that checks apples for pressure, water core problems and any other problems. If the apple doesn’t meet the standard, it is directed off the line.
Lake Ontario Fruit also has the latest in traceability technology. Every apple gets a sticker and that label has information that can pinpoint which farm grew the apple, what day it was picked and from what lot and block.
A truck of Gala apples from Lamont Fruit Farm in Waterport stopped at Lake Ontario Fruit on Tuesday. John Russell and Teresa Cano, who works in quality control, take samples of the truck load. They also put labels on the bins that note when the apples were picked and from what orchard, block and lot.
“Any progressive produce company is doing this,” Russell said about the traceability technology. “We can trace every apple to the individual orchard it comes from.”
That technology will be critical if there is ever a food recall. It also is helpful for Lake Ontario Fruit and its growers, providing information that recognizes farmers for a good job if certain apples are highlighted for flavor, for example.
Russell said there is room for Lake Ontario Fruit to grow. Many of the growers in recent years have planted new trees that will be bearing full crops in the coming years.
‘There are a lot of young trees in the ground,” Russell said. “There is definitely an opportunity with more fresh fruit coming into the market.”
The Lake Ontario Fruit complex appears in the background while bins of Gala apples are on a truck at the site on Ridge Road.
